North Africa and Syria

The North Africa and Syria Educational Activities booklet features a selection of inquiry-based activities to encourage student exploration of the commemorative publication Australians in World War II: North Africa and Syria.

Teachers using these materials are encouraged to select specific activities, parts of activities or the broad selection of primary and secondary materials within this learning resource to suit their own purposes.

Australians in World War II: North Africa and Syria—Education Activities

Chapter 8: Iraq

While the siege of Tobruk continued, Middle East command was engaged in a number of other campaigns. Some operations, such as Greece in April and Crete in May, had a significant Australian contribution and significant Australian casualties. In Greece and Crete, the 6th Division suffered 600 killed, 1000 wounded and more than 5000 captured, and would not fight again as a full division in the Middle East. Wavell had achieved success in Abyssinia in April, which enabled him to return the 4th Indian Division to Egypt, where it fought in Operation Battleaxe. However, on 3 April 1941 in Iraq, pro-German Rashid Ali, supported by four prominent army and air force leaders, deposed the pro-British regent and seized power. By treaty with Iraq, Britain controlled air force stations near Baghdad, protected by Kurdish troops under British officers; and Basra, which was reinforced by an Indian brigade group on 18 April.

On 2 May, Iraqi forces attacked the RAF base at Habbaniya, about 60 kilometres from Baghdad, and were defeated after four days of fighting by British and Kurdish troops supported by the RAF. A reinforcement brigade from Palestine reached Habbaniya on 18 May. The Vichy French allowed the Germans to ferry weapons and other war materiel to Iraq via Syrian airfields, which were attacked by the RAF from 14 May. The Vichy French also supplied war materiel to the Iraqis, until enterprising Frenchmen blew an important bridge that put an end to rail traffic between Syria and Iraq. The Germans lost nineteen aircraft in Iraq and the Italians three, before the remaining aircraft were withdrawn after Rashid Ali and his supporters fled to Iran and the regent was restored on 31 May.

The position on the Middle East at the start of June was that Iraqi revolt had ended, British and Commonwealth forces had been withdrawn from Crete, and preparations were underway for Operation Battleaxe in the middle of the month to relieve Tobruk. Both Malta and Tobruk were cut off and surrounded, and the Luftwaffe now had bases in Crete. The British were concerned that German aircraft at Damascus would be nearer to the Suez Canal than if they had been at Mersa Matruh. When the Germans saw the futility of trying to bolster Rashid Ali's revolt, they decided to withdraw from Syria in order to give the British no pretext for moving in. Unknown to the British, Syria was of minor importance to the Germans at this time, since they were just three weeks away from the start of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia. However, the British Chiefs of Staff ordered Wavell to advance into Syria as soon as possible. Wavell ordered the 7th Division to move from Mersa Matruh to Palestine on 20 May and next day ordered the preparation of plans for the invasion of Syria.